Auburn won an SEC road game… which is just about all the good news the Tigers could muster against Arkansas
By David Wasson
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Because we are the undisputed purveyors of good news here at Saturday Down South, your humble scribe appears is here to deliver just that to beloved Auburn fans after Saturday’s Tigers-Razorbacks SEC slugfest.
- Auburn won.
- Auburn won on the road.
- Auburn won an SEC game.
Beyond that, well, now we are devolving a smidge toward what could be charitably call “rearranging deck chairs on the HMS Freeze.” Because if anyone in orange and blue is undeniably happy after Auburn’s 33-24 victory over the bedraggled Razorbacks… we don’t quite know what to tell you.
The twin axioms of “any SEC win is a good win” and “winning on the road in the SEC” certainly apply in the affirmative with the Tigers, alas, as the 4-game losing streak dissipated into the slate gray sky above a half-empty Reynolds Razorback Stadium. But while Joe Public might catch the score scrolling across the screen over a half-eaten basket of hot wings and think to himself “ok, yeah Auburn won…” for precisely 7/10ths of a second, actually witnessing said clash between 2 conference bottom-feeders made this learned critic wonder just how much time is left on Hugh Freeze’s clock.
Because while Arkansas was as bad as advertised Saturday, Auburn’s own Mediocrity Department stayed busy keeping up with the Hogs for almost the entire 60 minutes. Fortunately for Big Toilet Paper, Auburn’s defense made the trip to Fayetteville – coming up with 3 huge 4th-quarter turnovers to turn the proverbial tide toward the visitors for good.
The entire week has been rather interesting for Freeze and Auburn, even before Saturday’s pillow fight with the Pigs. First, Freeze basically found himself pleading for a statement of support from Auburn athletic director John Cohen on Monday after being asked if one has been offered at this point (hint: it had not…).
Then in the middle of the week, news broke that the SEC suspended official Ken Williamson for his colossal botching of the Auburn-Georgia game – giving the dual effect of a sense of justification for Freeze, Cohen and Co. going bananas on Williamson during the game as well as fueling the fanbase’s general conspiracy theory that the entire vertically-striped world is against them.
Saturday was more of the same roller-coaster of emotions, including an eruption of grumbling by the faithful after Auburn attempted a pass on a run-heavy drive late in the first half against Arkansas that was gobbling up 7.5 yards per tote – a decision that backfired spectacularly via an 89-yard interception return for a score to make it 21-10 Arkansas at intermission.
Oof.
That interception was enough for Freeze to hand quarterback Jackson Arnold a clipboard and turn to Ashton Daniels for the duration – deviating slightly from the alleged plan that was to have Arnold and Daniels split reps against Arkansas and a decision that could turn permanent due to Arnold’s continued struggles in 2025.
Fortunately for the moving firm that we still think will hastily pack up Casa De Freeze at some point this season, Auburn’s special teams and defense likely kept their services from being needed this weekend. Alex McPherson drilled all 4 of his second-half field goal attempts, and the Tigers defense got a huge pick-6 of its own – a 49-yard Rayshawn Pleasant miracle – as part of said 3-turnover 4th quarter in which Auburn scored 17 unanswered points to clinch the W.
“That group of young men and that group of coaches, as disappointing and as hurtful as those 4 tight losses are, I think there are people who maybe would have shut it down,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said to reporters after the game.
Freeze said he kissed Pleasant after the Pick-6, and if he was being truthful he should be doling out smooches to the entire Auburn defense as well as to coordinator DJ Durkin on the flight home to the Plains. And while he is distributing the love, Freeze should send a bouquet to interim Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino as well. After all, it takes 2 to tango – and Petrino’s Hogs were certainly complicit in their late self-destruction.
So yeah… Auburn won a football game – its first in 42 days since South Alabama succumbed 31-15 on Sept. 13. And yeah… Auburn won on the road – for the first time in 57 days since going to Waco and taking down Baylor 38-24. And yeah… Auburn won an SEC game – for the first time all season as well as in the 336 days since edging Texas A&M 43-41 in double-OT last season.
Beyond that, well… there are a few times even a win/road win/SEC win can genuinely feel as close to a loss as it can possibly get. And Saturday was certainly one of them.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
